It's almost like exercising yourself. Really! Only your horse is the one with most of the movement. You're standing in the stirrups, legs taught, knees flexing, thighs moving up and down up and down. Your stomach muscles must be tight. There's just no other way to do it. Your back muscles are in gear as well because there is no way you can slouch through this. It's just good exercise for you both. We did this for so long, so far, that I'm sure we'll both be sore tomorrow. For me it will be almost every muscle. For him, he'll probably just be a little tired. Neither of us is "legged up" as they call it in the horse world. It means fit. It means strong lungs and strong muscles. It means you can post an extended trot for along period and it would seem as if you were just walking. It means you don't take deep breaths every few feet. It means it just feels good. It feels like someone who has jogged 5 miles. I can walk 4 but I don't jog any. Once we get fit, we can make that 2 hour ride into a 1 hour ride, or we can take a longer ride.
Truthfully, we like that ambling gait just as well. It's peaceful, quiet, relaxing. While we know we will live longer being fit, we will work up to it. In the meantime, we'll just "mosey" down the same trail, taking out time, and enjoying life...on breath at a time.
Encourage One Another
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